Secret Love
by CatDemonKayo
Summary: It had been nearly eight years since Rin had joined them on their travels, and he knew he was wrong to call her a girl now, she was  far from it, but denying her maturity was one way he could keep his feelings at bay. She was not his to have.


He watched as the human girl sat amongst the flowers, braiding another crown that would adorn one of their heads before they set out again. If it found his head, he'd leave it to wilt in the grass. No demon wore flower crowns, but even with that in mind, his heart would still break every time at her expression when she'd look back at him and see it no longer upon his head.

Finding a large, pink flower that she decided did not fit the crown in her opposite hand, the girl placed the crown down carefully to weave the flower into her hair. When it was done, a smile spread across her face, making her so beautiful his breath caught in his throat.

How was it possible for a human to be so beautiful?

Finding his eyes on her, she waved with her whole arm, laughing and smiling warmly. He did not return the wave or smile, watching her carefully from his position in the shade of a large tree.

It had been nearly eight years since Rin had joined them on their travels, and he knew he was wrong to call her a girl now, she was far from it, but denying her maturity was one way he could kept his feelings at bay. He had no right to fall in love with her. She was not his to have.

Rin rose to her feet, whirling about, looking for more flowers to complete her crown. Finding another patch in the grass that fit her liking, she moved to it, sitting once again in the grass to complete her creation.

Even at her age, she still clung to her love of natural beauty. Waterfalls and flower patches made her smile more than the most beautiful kimono or piece of carved jewelry. She preferred bare feet to the sandals that most women her age wore. Only children ran around barefoot, and although he mentioned to her that it was inappropriate on more than one occasion, she'd just smiled at him, saying that she knew that, but if she ever had a pair, she would ruin them with walking so much or eventually lose them.

This was true, and the more he pondered it, the more he realized he was glad that she chose not to listen to him. If she had, she wouldn't be the Rin they all knew. She was a free and innocent spirit who disregarded the conventions of her kind, just like the demons she traveled with, though he doubted she would have been any different without their influence.

Rin stood and turned, the crown done. She held it out before her, smiling. From his angle now, he could see her fully. Long ago, the gaps in her teeth from childhood had fill and now, she bore the brightest and most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Her dark hair had grown to her waist and was soother than silk. Most times, she kept it in a braid over her shoulder to keep it clean and out of the way, but today, she'd let it down and it shined in the afternoon sun, taking on a reddish tint from the setting sun.

Her large, brown eyes had narrowed over the years from innocence to experienced, but they still held the love and warm they always had. Even now, he felt that her eyes could see everything about him, but he always remained unchanged as she turned those eyes on him, hiding his gentle looks. She could never know. No matter how much he longed to tell her. She could never know his love.

She was tan from traveling, something most human women avoided becoming, but it fit her well, giving her the look of a foreign beauty. Her waist was thin and she lacked curves, too active to develop like normal human women, but she did not seem to realize this. When she would enter human villages for supplies, she would often return with a slight frown creasing her brow, not understanding why the women of the village would look at her from the corners of their eyes, whispering amongst one another as she passed. He longed to end her confusion and explain to her that human women tended to be curvy, not fit and thin, because this most often times indicated the women was poor or loose, but he never would for fear that she would change. Most demons preferred their women to have taught muscle under their skin, hating the curviness of human women, and he was no exception.

"Rin, come here." Came the cool voice.

Her smile brightened further. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" She called, running to her lord. When she reached him, she placed the crown carefully on his head and dropped down before him, her eyes overflowing with love. Lord Sesshomaru looked at her for a moment, his eyes emotionless, then raised a hand slowly and ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek lovingly. Rin closed her eyes, leaning into his touch and whispering something sweet to him.

Jaken sighed and looked away, using his staff to raise himself to his feet and walked away slowly, face turned downward.

No, she would never know.

She was not his to have.


End file.
